Vocabulary     

What does retain mean?

Definitions for retain
rɪˈteɪnre·tain

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word retain.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. retainverb

    hold back within

    "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water"

  2. retain, continue, keep, keep onverb

    allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature

    "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings"

  3. retain, hold, keep back, hold backverb

    secure and keep for possible future use or application

    "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"

  4. retainverb

    keep in one's mind

    "I cannot retain so much information"

Wiktionary

  1. retainverb

    To keep in possession or use.

  2. retainverb

    To keep in one's pay or service.

  3. retainverb

    To employ by paying a retainer.

  4. retainverb

    To hold secure.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To RETAINverb

    Etymology: retineo, Lat. retenir, Fr.

    Where is the patience now,
    That you so oft have boasted to retain. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

    Though th’ offending part felt mortal pain,
    Th’ immortal part its knowledge did retain. John Denham.

    The vigor of this arm was never vain;
    And that my wonted prowess I retain,
    Witness these heaps of slaughter. Dryden.

    A tomb and fun’ral honours I decreed;
    The place your armour and your name retains. Dryden.

    Whatever ideas the mind can receive and contemplate without the help of the body, it is reasonable to conclude, it can retain without the help of the body too. John Locke.

    Let me retain
    The name and all the addition to a king;
    The sway, beloved sons, be yours. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Rom. i. 22.

    Although they retain the word mandrake in the text, yet they retract it in the margin. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

    Be obedient and retain
    Unalterably firm his love entire. John Milton.

    They, who have restored painting in Germany, not having seen any of those fair reliques of antiquity, have retained much of that barbarous method. Dryden.

    Receive him that is mine own bowels; whom I would have retained with me. Philem. xii. 13.

    Hollow rocks retain the sound of blust’ring winds. John Milton.

    A Benedictine convent has now retained the most learned father of their order to write in its defence. Addison.

  2. To Retainverb

    These betray upon the tongue no heat nor corrosiveness, but coldness mixed with a somewhat languid relish retaining to bitterness. Boyle.

    In animals many actions depend upon their living form, as well as that of mixtion, and though they wholly seem to retain to the body, depart upon disunion. Brown.

    No more can impure man retain and move
    In the pure region of that worthy love,
    Than earthly substance can unforc’d aspire,
    And leave his nature to converse with fire. John Donne.

Wikipedia

  1. RETAIN

    RETAIN is a mainframe based database system, accessed via IBM 3270 terminals (or more likely, emulators), used internally within IBM providing service support to IBM field personnel and customers. The acronym RETAIN stands for Remote Technical Assistance Information Network.

ChatGPT

  1. retain

    To retain is to keep possession of or continue to have something. It can also refer to the ability to hold or contain something, like liquids, heat, or information. Furthermore, it can mean to keep someone in a particular position or role.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Retainverb

    to continue to hold; to keep in possession; not to lose, part with, or dismiss; to retrain from departure, escape, or the like

  2. Retainverb

    to keep in pay; to employ by a preliminary fee paid; to hire; to engage; as, to retain a counselor

  3. Retainverb

    to restrain; to prevent

  4. Retainverb

    to belong; to pertain

  5. Retainverb

    to keep; to continue; to remain

Wikidata

  1. RETAIN

    RETAIN is a mainframe based database system, accessed via IBM 3270 terminals, used internally within IBM providing service support to IBM field personnel and customers. The acronym RETAIN stands for REmote Technical Assistance Information Network.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Retain

    rē-tān′, v.t. to keep in possession: to detain: to employ by a fee paid: to restrain: to keep up, as to retain a custom: to keep in mind.—adj. Retain′able, that may be retained.—ns. Retain′er, one who is retained or kept in service: a dependant, but higher than a servant: a sutler: a retaining fee; Retain′ership; Retain′ment.—Retaining fee, the advance fee paid to a lawyer to defend a cause; Retaining wall, a wall to prevent a bank from slipping down.—General retainer, a fee to secure a priority of claim on a counsel's services; Special retainer, a fee for a particular case. [Fr.,—L. retinēre—re-, back, tenēre, to hold.]

Editors Contribution

  1. retain

    To keep a specific type of form, structure or memory.

    The memory stick retained its memory and the data that was saved onto it.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 7, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3773

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4493

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'retain' in Verbs Frequency: #317

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for retain »

  1. retina

  2. tin ear

  3. nerita

  4. tanier

  5. ratine

How to pronounce retain?

How to say retain in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of retain in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of retain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of retain in a Sentence

  1. Kevin McLaughlin:

    Collins is everything Georgians hate about Washington, he is a swamp creature that claims to be conservative. ... Now, having made an emotional, ill-informed and selfish decision, he finds himself at a crossroads. Republicans who are working to reelect President Trump and retain the Senate majority hope he has a moment of clarity, does the right thing and walks away from this poor decision. Otherwise, voters will make it for him.

  2. Ted Wheeler:

    We’re actively working to recruit and retain our best officers to better protect Portlanders, and I’ve set a goal to hire 300 police staff over the next three years to get closer to minimum staffing levels for the Portland Police Bureau, my administration will continue to lead in prioritizing public safety, and we’re not going to stop until peace returns to Portland.

  3. Chandan Jha:

    Whether or not Bed Bath & Bed Bath Beyond loyalty programs would survive also depends, in part, on whether the company goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, known as restructuring, or Chapter 7 bankruptcy, that is, liquidation, if Bed Bath Beyond is Bed Bath Beyond, then there’s a very, very high chance that the reward programs will survive and the company will honor any existing rewards and coupons. After all, the company would not want to lose their customers and these loyalty programs or loyalty rewards are made to retain customers.

  4. Gynecological Endocrinology:

    Some women retain the ability to masturbate and climax across menopause because of higher androgen levels but maybe their sexual function with a partner is impaired due to many other reasons.

  5. Jennifer Cafarella:

    These groups likely therefore retain more independence than Syrian rebel groups that pledge allegiance to ISIS, at least in the near term, iSIS appears to dispatch advisers to support local recruitment in such areas in an attempt to bolster the local strength of these groups, but does not augment their ranks with its own forces.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for retain

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"retain." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/retain>.

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